Euchloe olympia
Species of butterfly
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Euchloe olympia, the Olympia marble, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. Its range is southern Canada and the Midwest, down into the southwestern United States.[2] It has one flight, and males patrol on hilltops for females[3]. E. olympia is closely related to other Nearctic Euchloe spp., including E. guaymasensis.[4]
| Euchloe olympia | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Pieridae |
| Genus: | Euchloe |
| Species: | E. olympia |
| Binomial name | |
| Euchloe olympia (W.H. Edwards, 1871) | |
| Subspecies | |
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Host plants
Larvae feed on plants in the Brassicaceae family, including[3]:
- Arabis lyrata
- Arabis serotina
- Arabis laevigata
- Arabis missouriensis
- Arabis drummondii
- Arabis viridis
- Arabis glabra
- Descurainia pinnata
- Sisymbrium officinale
Eggs are laid singly on flower buds[3]. Early instars eat flowers and fruits while later instars eat leaves.
Nectar source
Euchloe olympia has been observed to use Lepidium virginicum as its main nectar source as a larval and as an adult the main nectar source was found to be Nuttallanthus canadensis. Based on a study done in a central Illinois sand prairie, Echloe olympia was observed to show consistency on the flowers it visits to obtain its nectar from.[5]
Habitat
Habitat usually consists of dry clearings, prairie, and foot chaparral[3].
Conservation status
The Olympia marble has been classified globally as G5/G4, meaning that globally it is a relatively stable species. The United States has not placed it under any watch as a country. However, gypsy moth chemical control and habitat destruction may be contributing to declines in this species[6]. A study on the status of butterflies in the United States found that the Olympia marble has declined by 75% from 2000–2020 in the areas surveyed[7].
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